RICK SMITH: Donkey rescue a haven for healing

Local group helps abused, abandoned animals find new homes

Kimberley Meyer/Standard-Times
David Duncan is among the employees who care for hundreds of donkeys at the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue near Harriett. The rescue is funded by private donations, taking no government money.

Kimberley Meyer/Standard-Times
Jayme O’Banion feeds donkeys at the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue near Harriett. The group does rescue work in 27 states, but 90 percent of its work is centered in Texas.

SAN ANGELO, Texas - What: Open house at the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: 8317 Duckworth Road, between San Angelo and Miles

Cost: Free

What else: From San Angelo, drive about 10 miles toward Miles on U.S. 67; turn left at Duckworth Road and follow it to its end at the ranch gate.

Contact: donkeyrescue.org or 866-366-5731

It started as a backyard hobby about 13 years ago in California.

The couple would find an abandoned or abused donkey, take it to their home, treat it well, help it heal and work to find a new home for the animal.

That lasted for several months, until they had 20 donkeys on their property.

Then, the couple knew what they must do: create a nonprofit donkey rescue organization.

Mark and Amy Meyers named their new venture after Peaceful Valley Road in Acton, Calif., where they lived.

The group's reputation grew, and Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue relocated to a 172-acre former dairy farm a few miles northeast of San Angelo, near the Harriett community.

The group's now the largest animal rescue operation in the United States, said Mark, the 48-year-old executive director of the group.

"I've spent the last 12 years pushing around 650-pound donkeys," he said.

The rescues have taken him from the Mexican border to Hawaii.

About 820 donkeys and burros are cared for at the local facility by volunteers and a core group of full- and part-time workers.

Another thousand animals are farmed out to grazing leases from Millersview to the Louisiana border.

"East Texas had a lot of rain — and plenty of grazing to eat with nothing to eat it," Mark said.

The group will host its first open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission charge. Events include demonstrations by burro collies, information on donkeys and the donkey rescue group, and live music.

"It's a good way to meet a lot of people who are passionate about animals," Mark said.

To find the ranch, drive northeast from San Angelo on U.S. 67. About 10 miles out of the city, turn left on Duckworth Road. The ranch is at the end of the road.

The group does rescue work in 27 states, but 90 percent of its work is centered in Texas.

The current drought is a part of the problem. Ranchers sell off stock because of a lack of grazing, then find more donkeys on their land than they thought possible.

The rescuers capture the unwanted donkeys and take them to the Peaceful Valley ranch.

The stay at the ranch of every new "guest" costs the rescue group about $1,000 for feeding, castration, vaccines, micro chipping, training and transportation.

Because of the overflow of animals in Texas, "you don't find a lot of homes in the state for donkeys," Mark said.

But, he added, the group has "a lot of luck" in the Pacific Northwest, Florida, the Carolinas and Oklahoma.

"Donkeys make fantastic pets," he said. "They're much easier to train than a horse. A novice with no training experience but with lots of patience can train a donkey to do anything."

They're easy to keep, he said.

"They don't have near the hoof or digestive problems horses have. Cared for, they can live to be 50 years old."

He said no donkeys are adopted out unless they are manageable.

"We gentle the wild ones down ourselves before sending them out," he said.

"They have to be friendly toward people, accept a halter and allow their hooves to be trimmed."

The rescue organization is funded by private donations.

"I refuse to take money from the government," Mark said. "I'm a believer in the nonprofit system. People who believe in something should be able to give to that cause."

Rescuing donkeys is not about money or fame, he wrote in his new book, "Riding for the Brand."

"I did it because it was the right thing to do. I did it because it needed doing."

Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact Rick at rsmith@gosanangelo.com or 659-8248.

IF YOU GO

What: Open house at the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: 8317 Duckworth Road, between San Angelo and Miles

Cost: Free

What else: From San Angelo, drive about 10 miles toward Miles on U.S. 67; turn left at Duckworth Road and follow it to its end at the ranch gate.